Al-Ahli defeated Al-Ittihad 3-1 at Alinma Bank Stadium at King Abdullah Sport City to go top of the Saudi Pro League.

After Fabinho's penalty cancelled out Ivan Toney's opener for the home side, Mahrez curled home in the 59th minute before Feras Al Brikan secured the win to move Al-Ahli one point above Al-Nassr, who face Neom on Saturday, and Al-Hilal.

It was an even start from both sides, with Moussa Diaby and Galeno going close at either end, while Houssem Aouar felt he should have had a penalty in the 23rd minute after being brought down in the Al-Ahli box.

However, the referee waved away the claims, and Al-Ahli managed to score on the counter as Galeno burst down the left wing before squaring the ball to Toney, who tapped home into an unguarded net.

Al-Ahli came out firing in the second half after a quiet end to the first, but it was Al-Ittihad who scored the next goal after Zakaria Hawsawi fouled Steven Bergwijn and Fabinho coolly dispatched his penalty past Edouard Mendy.

Nevertheless, Matthias Jaissle's side needed just eight minutes to regain their lead as Mahrez found the bottom-left corner after cutting inside, while Al Brikan dispossessed Predrag Rajkovic on the edge of the goalkeeper's box and slotted into the net to wrap up the win late on.

Data Debrief: Galeno the unsung hero

It was a deserved victory for the home side, who produced 2.06 expected goals from 12 shots to Al-Ittihad's 1.05 from seven attempts.

Although his team-mates may take the headlines, Galeno played a crucial role in the win. Along with his two assists, he created a match-high three chances, completed the joint-most passes in the final third (11), and registered the most touches in the box.

Al‑Ittihad, meanwhile, have not won any of their last seven away league matches (D4 L3), their longest away run without a win since an eight‑match streak between February and November 2018.